MISENHEIMER, N.C. – For the third-time this week, fifth-seeded Mount Olive College picked up another victory in the 2013 Conference Carolinas women’s basketball tournament by defeating a team on the road whom they lost to twice in the regular season. The Trojans clinched the league’s automatic berth into the NCAA tournament with a 79-74 overtime win over third-seeded Pfeiffer University. The Lady Falcons will find out their postseason fate at 10:00 p.m. tonight via NCAAsports.com.

Tied at 60-60 with 5:29 left in the second half, Joneiqua Gary (Norfolk, VA) hit a big three to put the Trojans up three before a pair of Brittany Cox (Winston-Salem, NC) free throws cut the Trojan lead back down to one with 4:33 remaining in regulation. Trailing 68-64 with 3:37 to play, a Cox layup and jumper in the lane by Kellie Rhoney (Catawba, NC) tied the contest at 68-68 with 1:59 to go. After Gary hit another jumper for the Trojans, Christina Harvey (Locust Grove, VA) would hit the two game-tying free throws with 59 seconds left. Pfeiffer would have a chance to win it in regulation with free throws at the 30-second mark and with 3.2 seconds left.

Mount Olive led from start to finish in the extra five minutes as Gary drained another triple before Cox responded with a layup. Nesmith would then hit for two more and add two free throws to help ice the Trojans 9-4 overtime period.

The Trojans would barely out-shoot the Lady Falcons 34% to 32% while each team hit seven shots from behind the arc. Kirksten Mitchell (Hagerstown, MD) scored a game-high 24 points to lead Mount Olive as one of four in double-figures. Harvey led the Lady Falcons with 23 points and 11 rebounds while Jodie Lemons (Madison, NC) 11 points and 13 rebounds.

The NCAA selection show will take place tonight (Sunday) at 10:00 p.m. when the final eight Southeast region teams will be named a part of the NCAA national tournament. Clayton State will likely host the region tournament as the #1 seed and as the Peach Belt Conference’s tournament winner. Anderson out of the South Atlantic Conference and Mount Olive clinch the region’s other two automatic bids. That leaves Limestone, Lenoir-Rhyne, USC Aiken, Barton, Augusta State and the Lady Falcons for the final five spots. Augusta State (ranked 7th in the latest region poll) lost in the Peach Belt tournament’s first round while Pfeiffer defeated Barton (ranked 6th) on their home floor last Friday.